Alexi Hawley’s Perfectman Pictures Appoints Rachel Abarbanell As SVP, Launches Development On New Legal Drama Series For ABC

Matt Grobar
·2 min read
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EXCLUSIVE: Perfectman Pictures, the production company founded by creator, showrunner and producer Alexi Hawley, is expanding with the hire of Rachel Abarbanell as Senior Vice President and a new project in development at ABC.

Hawley’s latest series is an untitled legal drama, hailing from Natalie Callaghan — the fourth born of out the former TV powerhouse’s overall deal with eOne. It’s written by Callaghan, who is an executive story editor on Hawley’s beloved ABC police procedural The Rookie, starring Nathan Fillion. Hawley will exec produce through Perfectman Pictures.

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Rachel Abarbanell
Rachel Abarbanell

In her new role at the company, Abarbanell will identify new projects and develop comedy, drama and limited series for broadcast, cable and streaming platforms. She previously served as Vice President of Development for Ellen DeGeneres’ production company, A Very Good Production. She, in her six years there, produced the comedy Splitting Up Together for ABC, as well as Ellen’s Next Great Designer and Tig Notaro: Drawn for HBO Max, also serving as a co-producer on the feature Nancy Drew and the Hidden Staircase for Warner Bros.

Prior to her time at AVGP, Abarbanell spent 10 years at Lynda Obst Productions, eventually growing into the position of President of Production, which had her serve as an associate producer on the feature The Invention of Lying co-written, co-directed by and starring Ricky Gervais. She also, during this time, served as an executive on such notable film and television projects as Interstellar, Helix, Good Girls Revolt and The Hot Zone, among others.

Known for writing dramas based on real stakes and circumstances, Hawley is the creator, writer and showrunner behind three current drama series – ABC’s The Rookie, for which he also directed the Season 4 finale; its hit spinoff series The Rookie: Feds, toplined by Niecy Nash-Betts; and the Netflix spy drama The Recruit starring Noah Centineo, which premieres on the platform on Friday, December 16. He was previously an executive producer and co-showrunner on Castle and The Following, also creating State of Affairs for NBC.

Hawley is repped by CAA, The Shuman Company and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller.

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